The most loved Ibanez model ever | 2000 Ibanez RG3120

[@Socomite]

Some of the earlier 3120s indeed have the j.custom serial numbers and moreover have j.custom markings in the neck pocket, so it is not really that a big stretch to say they were made by the custom luthiers at Fujigen. I would have to disagree with you a little on the 90's j.custom and RG5320 comparison though.. since even though the 5320 sits at a pretty high price point, the j.customs (at least of the 90's) are/were simply a cut above in quality and craftsmanship. Interestingly, there seemed to have been a 1997 RG3120 SLK with JPM routing as well produced, but that one is so exceedingly rare that I haven't seen but one on the internets. The original strap pins on these were the Gotoh Free Lock strap locks that Ibanez still puts on their j.customs, but they were changed out to regular strap pins sometime during the guitar's production history. The Gotohs are quite difficult to source nowadays and fetch a pretty penny. I own a few 3120s and love them to death, fantastic and surprisingly versatile guitars. Don't really care for the 2003 versions or 3120F's with Edge Pro's.

[@Ibbyhead]

Thanks for comment and clarifications! Yeah, I may have misspoke there, I thought more about 3000-level Prestige of that era were somewhat on the level of the current 5000-level. Looking at some archives and older threads on the internet, early J.Custom were super hard to get outside of Japan and indeed something very very special. Really cool fact about that JPM routed RG3120. Now I have a new unicorn to look for :D

[@Socomite]

@@Ibbyhead I have no doubt the j.customs were very hard to get outside of Japan back in the 90s.. even nowadays it's not every dealer that gets access to new ones! So I fathom this must have been even more exclusive back when they were the new new thing. Going beyond that, the Japanese only Ibanez world is just.. well, in one word it's weird :D You have tons of spot models that were only released in Japan, and sometimes only to some specific dealers. Not only that, but you see some supremely odd combinations like the JPM 3120, and all kinds of things. For the uninitiated it would seem that some of those were just stuff the guys at the factory whipped up from leftover parts. The 3120SLK was just a very odd find, it had the big center abalone dots that normal SLKs had plus the prestige emblem on the 24th fret, but the body routing was a JPM. And of course it had a flame maple top and was finished in transparent black.. there was one for sale in Italy years back and that's where I spotted it. A friend of mine got into talks with the seller and I think he got the neck pocket stamps and other details to verify that it wasn't an aftermarket body, but the sale fell through in the end. To end on a positive note, if you're looking for unique Ibanez guitars, there are a lot to be found!

[@nylertickel2]

Always a joy whenever I see a new video from you! Love to see other people love ibanez so much

[@Ibbyhead]

Thank you! Glad to see you back :)

[@ferretallica]

Sounds like a Better Call Saul line. "I like my guitars how I like my women.' "Japanese?" "No. Beautiful in the front with a dirty secret in the back."

[@Ibbyhead]

😅

[@pagl3120]

Great video! I LOVE my rg3120TW 1998

[@Ibbyhead]

Thank you!

[@bobilly]

Some of the early 98s came with glossy cosmo black hardware instead of the matte hardware for most of the models lifespan. Also later ones had the Edge Pro trem.

[@pagl3120]

Thats correct. My rg3120 1998 came With glossy cosmo hardware

[@Ibbyhead]

Ah so maybe that's the difference between Cosmo Black and Powder Cosmo! Thank you both for the input! I love learning more through those videos.

[@NENboss5150]

Can you please find a 3220. They seem to be so rare.

[@GarryParker]

Lovely guitar - one for the bucket list!

[@Ibbyhead]

It is amazing guitar and it looks just stunning, even with the cosmetic issues it has. I usually sell my guitars after some time to get hands on others, but not sure about this one... This may actually stay :D

[@GarryParker]

@@Ibbyhead Thanks, I love your channel because I love RGs! I own 6 at the moment, an RG2610 in black, an RG1550M in Poisoned Pumpkin, an RG565 Genesis in Vampire Kiss, an RG655 in Galaxy Black, an Axion label RG631ALF in Blue Chamelion and an old RG350 modded with EMGs. I'm always looking out for other interesting RGs and the 3120 is defintely on that list. Cheers.

[@Ibbyhead]

@@GarryParker I'm so jelly of that RG2610. I love simple pickup confs :D Those are some great guitars and also very interesting colour choices!

[@taken8]

I have a 1997 SLK and a 1998 TW, great guitars!

[@Ibbyhead]

Great pair of colours!

[@eds280]

Thank you for sharing your videos!... I'm coming back to play my guitars after 12 years of being out. For problems in my hands and arms I couldn't play for all those years. Now I'm in therapy and also exercising and stretching every day and every time I can, and it's been working good, and now I can play for a little while without feeling a lot of pain. I bought an Strandberg guitar that's been amazing for my hands, worth the money hands down. But also I want to buy an Ibanez, I've alway loved those guitars, but I don't know as much as you do, in fact I'm absolutely obsolete aahahhaha, being out all those years, now a lot of things are different. I have 3 options that interest me the most (used), all japanese made. I've watched your video about the floating bridges and that helped me a lot!!... to decide mainly which models I don't want, based on the bridge they have. I was so lost before watching it, and your video was by far the most helpful of all the ones I've watched... so all my initial options went to the toilet and now the ones that call my attention are the ones with Edge or Lo-pro Edge bridges.... Prestige RG3120TW 2000 (about U$1.400 case included) / Prestige RG652AHM AWD 2018 (about U$1.050, only guitar, no case) / RG550 Genesis 2018-2024 (about U$680-880 only guitar, no case). I have no problem to pay $1.400 for a prestige guitar, I know they are great, but still the genesis is about half the price and I don't know if the quality difference is that much to cost the double. What do you think about those 3 options and wich would you choose my friend? or do you recommend any other model? (the guitar case is not that important to me bc I' wont play with bands anymore,...also I don't really need to save half the money buying the 550, but it also would be great to save half of the money aahahahah... I guess I'm trying to say that Quality is important, but if it's not that much difference...). Your videos have been so helpful, so I trust 100% on your knowledge and judgment. Thank you so much!!! Regards from Chile

[@Ibbyhead]

I'm so sorry I've missed your comment! All of those are fantastic options. Genesis will give you this 1980s flair. They also cut some corners on them, to keep the price low and have them made in Japan. From what I saw and heard, there are some minor issues with fret finishing and general quality issues around cosmetics. They were also sold without case. RG3120 is amazing guitar. But because they're so cherished in the community, the prices are pretty steep. RG652 would be slightly lower tier in comparison to RG3120, but I really love that blonde finish on ash body. It's a beautiful guitar. Also consider what you like visually. If you like the guitar, you'll be more eager to pick it up more often :)

[@eds280]

@@Ibbyhead don't worry my friend, your videos have already been very helpful to make my choice. I've decided to go for the 3120TW but it was sold before I contacted the seller... so I've decided to wait a little, and then I've ended up buying a japanese RG570 from 2000, and I like it a lot. I have about 12 guitars but I use a lot the Ibanez (the only one I have). I was worried for the thin neck but this one has the wizard, and it's not so thin as the superwizard I think, and it's not uncomfortable for me at all... maybe because I have 2 ESPs and 5 LTDs so the necks are pretty similar in thickness. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me and share your knowledge.

[@Ibbyhead]

@@eds280 Also very solid choice! I think the necks from late 90s and early 2000s are amazing!

[@Murphy_R9]

Love these RG's getting ready to buy a 1999 one in Deep red later this week. what serial number does it need to be a J craft version? You mentioned the early ones are?

[@Ibbyhead]

J.Custom - it's a second serial number in black ink, next to regular F stamp. They're quite uncommon and mostly 1999 pieces. J-Craft is a marketing term, that Ibanez used in 2000s for some Japanese guitars. Probably to just confuse people that they're getting a J.Custom. Need to make episode about this :D

[@Murphy_R9]

@@Ibbyhead The serial Number for the RG3120 in deep red i am getting is F9817994? is that a true custom shop version? I also thought the second digit was the year of the RG? On my RG570FM from 1991 it starts with a F1 for Fuji Gen 1991? also Powder Cosmo is different than Cosmo black. Powder Cosmo is a Matte finish and the regular Cosmo black is shiney and more chrome like.

[@Ibbyhead]

@@Murphy_R9 There is not really such thing like "true custom shop" when talking serial produced guitars. Even J.customs are "mass-produced" (in dozens, but still, not "custom"). I was wrong in previous comment, I meant to say that some 1997 models had two stamps, one regular Fujigen, and second black inked J.Custom one starting with "97". Fujigen serial numbers until 1996 had format F+6 digits, where the first digit was the year. In 1996, they had to add one digit to not confuse 1996 and 1986, and since then the first two digits are years. That's why 1998 in yours. Thanks for clarifying the Powder Cosmo/Cosmo Black situation. You're totally right!

[@Ibbyhead]

@@Murphy_R9 Still super cool you're getting red. They look fantastic!

[@Murphy_R9]

@@Ibbyhead Thanks for the info on the serial numbers. 👍 I seen where the 1997 ones had a "Prestige" inlay at the 24th fret. That is badass wish they would have kept that. makes it look even more "custom"

[@Murphy_R9]

@ibbyhead, I got that deep red 3120 a few hours ago and it is incredible! overall it is in mint condition except for one small paint ship on the back at the bottom near the jack. More importantly the frets are like new? Did the guy even play this RG? It is a 25 year old guitar and has no fret wear??? Well that is good for me!😁 I love these 3120's and plan on getting a TW Blue or VV next. I paid $1000 with case. It still has the stock Tone zone and PAF Pro thankfully because i love that combo.

[@Ibbyhead]

Great deal, congrats!

[@damcka]

I have two VV and one TW. Fantastic instruments. I’m not in love with the DR colour, but would still like one just to complete the set. Very rare in the UK.

[@Ibbyhead]

I generally find them pretty rare in Europe. From the comments I see they're much more common in the US. I hope you'll find one at reasonable price :)

[@mr_uriki]

I guess, that exactly model was used on the 2000's by seo taiji band guitarists on the summer sonic 2001 festival. I always think its a model to defined the ibanez RG models in general.

[@Ibbyhead]

Just went through some videos! He does seem to play one in some of the songs. The other guitarists is sporting the Universe. Cool band too :) Thanks for commenting!

[@jimgordon2290]

I would kill for a vintage violin RG3120! Here in the US, the red finish wasn't that rare, but vintage violin was, as far as I know, not sold here. I have 2 of the blue ones, and one red one (that one I got used at an obscenely low price).

[@Ibbyhead]

Ah, that's interesting, thanks for the input! Every time I see red in Europe it's obscenely high price :D

[@Gfy7365]

I have a 2000 red 3120 I wish they would rerelease them

[@Ibbyhead]

Nice! Is the back on red also red? Or more "natural mahogany"? (I know mahogany gets a bit reddish sometimes, but I wonder if they made a back and front different like here).

[@Gfy7365]

@@Ibbyhead the back is red see thru you can see the wood grain through it

[@Ibbyhead]

@@Gfy7365 Thanks!

[@NENboss5150]

I would kill to be able to buy a 3220 like I had before. Anyone have one for sell by chance?😂🤷‍♀️